Hip-hop's love affair with jeans is as diverse and varied as the genre itself. Long before today's slim cuts, baggy jeans by FUBU and Girbaud reigned supreme. Rappers like T.I. and Young Jeezy were name-checking Evisu and LL Cool J walked around with one pant leg rolled up. In the '80s, Run DMC and Big Daddy Kane were rocking straight-legged jeans with sneakers and a shorter hem that many dudes would be quick to label highwaters.
It took a long time for hip-hop and fashion to intersect in the way they do today—where Kanye West has a collaboration with French denim brand A.P.C. and Future stunts onstage in Givenchy kicks and Balmain jeans. So we charted the course of how hip-hop's denim obsession arrived at its current state. From the heyday of Tommy Hilfiger overalls (with one strap unhinged, of course) to the "premium" jeans craze that had dudes rocking tons of True Religion, a lot has changed in how rappers and their fans prefer their pants. Call us "jeaneoligists," if you must, here is The Evolution of Denim in Hip-Hop.
RELATED: A History of Versace in Hip-Hop
RELATED: A History of the Bucket Hat
RELATED: A History of Style Trends Started By Rappers